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December 16, 2024
Alternate Assessment December Chat and Connect
The Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment Division will host a series of virtual chat and connect sessions for Minnesota Test of Academic Skills/Alternative Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MTAS/Alt MCA) test administrators and special education staff to ask any questions around alternate assessment, share your feedback and connect with other special education staff from across the state. Bring your questions and any feedback you have to share at this informal time focused on alternate assessment.
Join us for the December Chat and Connect on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, from 4-5 p.m. via Zoom. Register for the Alt Assessment Chat and Connect on the ZoomGov website. This month we will be discussing the WIDA Alternate ACCESS with Dean Reasoner, English learner (EL) Assessment Specialist, and the Science Alternate MCA materials available for Spring 2025.
We will be meeting the third Tuesday of each month during the school year. You only need to register once to join any of the monthly Chat and Connects that work for you. The upcoming Alternate Assessment Chat and Connect dates for this year are January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15 and May 20, 2025 at 4 p.m. For more information, contact Alt.Assessment.MDE@state.mn.us.
Applications Open for Science MCA-IV and Alt MCA Standard Setting
After the first administration for a new series of assessments aligned to revised academic standards, a committee of educators and community members define the performance levels on the new assessment. The Standard Setting Committee will use the Science MCA-IV and Alt MCA Performance Level Descriptors to determine what it means for students to demonstrate proficiency on the academic standards in Science.
We are looking for a diverse group of classroom educators representing science education throughout the state. This committee will balance grade-level and content-area knowledge of the 2019 Minnesota Science Standards, geographic distribution and the diversity of our student population. Participants will contribute their instructional expertise and knowledge of the 2019 Science Standards and collaborate with peers from across Minnesota while earning Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and an honorarium.
Please encourage science, special education and multilingual learner educators in your district to apply to be part of one of these in-person committees next summer.
Applications will be open until January 10, 2025. Committee members will be chosen based on grade-level and content-area needs, as well as experience with the 2019 Minnesota Science Standards.
Another way to be involved in MCA and Alt MCA development is to register to participate in Educator Review Committees. Educator and community member input is vital in the development of questions assessing the Academic Standards in Science. This opportunity is open to science, math, language arts, EL and special education teachers. Please contact mde.testing@state.mn.us for more information.
MTAS/Alternate MCA Administration 2025 Informational Meeting
The Academic Standards, Instruction, and Assessment Division will host informational meetings in January for MTAS/Alternate MCA test administrators and special education staff to share important changes to the MTAS/Alternate MCA in the spring of 2025. While this information will also be included in the required training materials for MTAS/Alternate MCA administrations, this event will highlight some MTAS/Alternate MCA test administration changes and show a sample of mathematics and science field test tasks that are included in a portion of the MTAS. Test Administrators and other district staff involved in administering the MTAS/Alternate MCA are encouraged to attend so they are prepared for the changes, are familiar with the mathematics and science tasks and can have their questions answered. Note: This meeting does not replace the required MTAS/Alternate MCA Test Administrator trainings that will be available on the Learning Management System (LMS).
Register for one of the MTAS/Alternate MCA Administration 2025 informational meetings below. Both events cover the same information, so please select one date to attend.
Contact mde.testing@state.mn.us to request accommodations to participate in this event. Note: MDE requires a two-week advance notice to provide accommodations and 48-hour notice to cancel the request.
A recording of the informational meeting will be available at a later date. Look for information about the recorded session in an upcoming Educator Edition.
Science MCA-IV and Alt MCA Performance Level Descriptors
Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) for the Science MCA-IV and Science Alternate MCA (Alt MCA) are now available on the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website. The Science MCA-IV PLDs, previously named Achievement Level Descriptors, describe phenomenon-based learning of the grade-level expectations set by multidimensional benchmarks in the 2019 Academic Standards in Science. The purpose of PLDs are to:
- Provide the criteria for establishing achievement levels (or cut scores) for the MCA-IV tests at standard setting in the summer of 2025
- Provide parents, teachers and other educational partners with a description of student performance that can support instruction and assessment
- Serve as a basis to develop summaries in student score reports to help with the interpretation of test results
Student performance on the Science MCA-IV and Alt MCA is differentiated into four performance levels: Beginning, Intermediate, Meets and Advanced. Students performing at the Meets and Advanced levels are considered proficient in the knowledge and skills described in the academic standards.
View the Science MCA and Alt MCA Performance Level Descriptors on the MDE website.
December 2024 E1MN Newsletter Available
The December 2024 E1MN Newsletter features information on benefits planning, State Services for the Blind's newsletter and the Minnesota Regional Quality Council's Employment Services Presentation Series. View the December 2024 E1MN newsletter on the GovDelivery website.
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